Crowds throng popular Penang Snake Temple for prayers

PENANG has many tourist attractions, but one in particular, is drawing in the crowds as the world marks the Year of the Snake - the zodiac animal for this year's Lunar New Year.

The over 200-years old Hock Hin Keong Temple, popularly known as the Penang Snake Temple where serpents co-exist with temple caretakers, has been the centre of attraction of late.

Visitors from across the country performed their morning prayers with their families at the start of the Lunar New Year yesterday.

Some of the temple goers described it as a mandatory ritual to visit the temple annually during the New Year – especially when this year is the Year of the Snake.

A temple spokesperson said that some 100,000 visitors are expected at the temple, which is part of the Harmony Street enclave in Bayan Lepas.

Besides the Hock HIn Temple, there is a church, a surau and a Hindu temple, which dot the street, which is part of the wide range of tourism attractions in Penang.

There is an exhibition area for the snakes to slither. Among the species are the Wagner pit viper, which is endemic to Southeast Asia. 

Apart from the vipers, the temple also hosts many pythons which are docile enough for visitors to pick up and snap selfies.

The snake is the sixth animal of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. 

It matches up with the years of people born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2025.

The creature, by a feng shui specialist, is traditionally associated with characteristics such as intuition, wisdom, slyness and charm, and it is often linked to the element of fire – which represents passion and transformation.

The temple was built in 1805 in remembrance of Master Chor Soo Kong, a Buddhist monk who lived during the Song Dynasty (960 to 1279) and was revered for his compassion. 

He was honoured and thereafter worshipped at the temple after his passing at the age of 65.

Legend has it that the deity gave shelter to snakes from the nearby jungle, and Wagler’s Pit Vipers followed him into the temple and were regarded as his protectors. - January 30, 2025.